Artist Drake’s freaky obsession with NBA correspondent Doris Burke

The pop star’s recent not-so-subtle booty call-out to the veteran ESPN presenter has become quite a steamy episode.

They may have said no strings attached, but they’ve still got tied up in that.

So too has the NBA community, watching on to see what eventuates from the public flirtations between the 30-year-old Canadian artist and the 51-year-old hoops expert.

It’s not easy to explain the romance, so we’ll go from the beginning.

Burke, on Thursday (AEDT) revealed the whole saga began during the NBA playoffs earlier this year when the Toronto Raptor’s biggest fan first approached the basketball analyst during a match at the Air Canada Centre.

It was intrigue at first sight. “Here’s my take on it, Burke told ESPN’s Mike and Mike.

“I had a couple of Toronto Raptors games during the playoffs early. Drake was not in Toronto. He was watching the games during the Eastern Conference finals. His seat location guys were maybe three or four rows in front of mine and he literally stands up in the middle of a TV timeout and in the middle of the Eastern Conference finals points at me, makes a heart and points again. And so, of course, I look behind me to see who is Drake looking at and I turn back around. He sort of shakes his head. I interpreted it in that moment as, ‘Hey, you’re pretty good at this basketball thing’.”

Her innocent interpretation was way off.

So, the award-winning musician was a little more forward with his next attempt. While hosting “Drake Night” during a Raptors game against the Golden State Warriors recently, the man himself got tongues wagging with his choice of sweater — a tight, black number with a cartoon image of Burke captioned “WOMAN CRUSH EVERYDAY”.

He explained himself, thus. “Well, usually on Drake night I get to do sideline or courtside commentary,” he told ESPN in a live interview in the middle of the game.

“My inspiration is Doris. I think she’s a stunning woman. Incredible at what she does. I wish she was here tonight. Just sending all my love to her. I don’t know which camera to look at, but (I’m) blowing a lot of kisses (for her). You know I love Doris with all my heart. I hope she knows that. She is woman crush everyday. That’s why I wore the shirt. Dinner at my house anytime as long as she comes alone.”

The One Dance and Fake Love performer was then asked to summarise his team’s current standing in a typically-Doris Burke style.

He finished his Raptor’s analysis by saying: “If I was Doris, I would end it up by saying I love Drake and he looks so handsome tonight”.

Indeed. It appears to have worked.

Burke said she was cooking dinner at her daughter’s house when Drake made his grand romantic gesture and has no idea what to make of it.

“So fast forward six months later, I’m at my daughters, she’s at law school at Villanova in her apartment and we’re cooking dinner and my phone starts to blow up and that’s the extent of my knowledge,” she said.

“I would tell you that your question was my 22-year-old son’s question when he saw the shirt as well. What the heck is going on Ma? I said, ‘Son I have absolutely no idea’.”